William Nardini testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, on September 25. William Nardini testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Sept. 25. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted 86-2 to approve Connecticut federal prosecutor William Nardini for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

The only senators voting against Nardini's nomination were Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

Both Connecticut senators, Democrats Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, supported Nardini.

It was relatively smooth sailing for Nardini, a 19-year veteran of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Connecticut, who until recently was the chief of the agency's criminal division. He received primarily friendly questioning from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 25. That day, the Judiciary Committee hearing, in which Blumenthal introduced Nardini, lasted less than an hour. In his introductory remarks in September, Blumenthal called Nardini "a very active and highly regarded member" of the Connecticut U.S. Attorney's Office.

Nardini, who President Donald Trump nominated for the seat in August, earned his law degree in 1994 from Yale Law School, and was executive editor of the Yale Law Journal. He is also a Fulbright scholar.

During his time with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Connecticut, Nardini completed a four-year assignment as the Department of Justice Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He worked with Italian authorities in assisting in requests for extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between the two countries.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Nardini was a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, as well as Judges Jose Cabranes and Guido Calabresi of the Second Circuit.

Related stories:

2nd Circuit Nominee Nardini Gets Friendly Reception at Senate Judiciary

Trump Announces Judicial Nominees for Connecticut, Nation